Helge Rosvaenge Early Recordings Vol 1

Lebendige Vergangenheit

Helge Rosvaenge, einer der größten Tenöre, den die deutsche Opernbühne je aufzuweisen hatte, wurde am 29. August 1897 in Kopenhagen geboren. Nach bestandenem Abitur bezog er 1915 das Polytechnikum, um Chemiker zu werden. Nebenbei nahm er auch Gesangsunterricht. Um sich von den Anstrengungen der Hochschulprüfung zu erholen, nahm er die Einladung eines ihm befreundeten Künstlerehepaares an und gewann so Anschluss an Theaterkreise in der mecklenburgischen Residenz Schwerin. Nach einem erfolgreichen Probesingen erfolgte 1921 sein Bühnendebüt am Mecklenburgischen Landestheater in Neustrelitz. Von 1922 bis 1924 sang er am Landestheater von Altenburg in Thüringen. Von dort führte ihn der Weg an das Stadttheater von Basel (bis 1926) und weiter nach Köln. Im Opernhaus zu Köln fand er Zugang zu den Opern von Verdi, die von da an einen wesentlichen Teil seines Repertoires ergaben. 1929 gelang ihm als Alfred in „La Traviata" der erste durchschlagende Erfolg an der Berliner Staatsoper. Seine Partnerin war Gitta Alpar. Man hielt ihn dort' als Nachfolger von Richard Tauber fest, der soeben seinen Vertrag gelöst hatte. Bis 1945 gehörte er ohne Unterbrechung zu den ersten Tenören dieses hervorragendsten deutschen Operntheaters. In Leo Blech fand er einen väterlichen Freund und künstlerischen Helfer, dem er den größten Teil seines Repertoires verdankte. Seit 1930 band ihn ein Gastspielvertrag auch an die Wiener Staatsoper. Sein ständiger Wohnsitz blieb jedoch Berlin, das er auch während der größten Bombenangriffe des Zweiten Weltkrieges nicht verließ; er trat noch in Konzerten auf, als die Opernhäuser infolge des „Totalen Krieges" schließen mussten. Nach dem Einmarsch der Russen kam er als „kollaborationsverdächtiger Ausländer" einige Monate in das Lager Krasnogorsk bei Moskau. … Helge Rosvaenge, one of the greatest tenors ever to appear upon the German operatic stage, was born August 29, 1897, in Copenhagen. Following completion of his intermediary schooling, he entered the Polytechnic Institute in 1915 to take up the study of chemistry. However, along with his academic training, he had already begun his voice studies. In order to rest up from his university examinations, he accepted invitation to spend some time with a culturally active married couple, with whom he was acquainted, and who introduced him into the theatre circles of Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg. Following a successful audition, he celebrated his stage debut in 1921 at the Mecklenburg National Theatre in Neustrelitz. From 1922 to 1924, he appeared at the Altenburg National Theatre in Thuringia. From there he went to the Municipal Theatre in Basel where he remained until 1926, thereafter continuing on to Cologne. During his engagement at the Cologne Opera House, he became closely associated with Verdi's operas which from this point on became a prominent part of his repertoire. His firsts real success came as Alfredo in "La Traviata", performed in 1929 at the Berlin State Opera. His partner was Gitta Alpar. He was retained here as the logical successor to Richard Tauber, who had just canceled his contract. Up until the close of the war, he remained without interruption as one of the leading tenors of this famed opera house. He found in Leo Blech not only a friend but an inestimable assistant and supporter in his artistic career and to whom he owes a large part of his repertoire. From 1930 on, he was signed up as a guest performer at the Vienna State Opera. However, he remained a resident of Berlin which he did not leave even during the large-scale bombings during World War II. After the opera houses in Berlin had been closed down in line with the "total war" policies, he continued to appear in concerts. After the Russians marched into Berlin, he was taken into custody as a suspect foreign collaborator and spent several months in an internment camp in Krassogorsk near Moscow. …